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A Korean company has announced a unique mobile device melding an x86-based nano-PC with an ARM-based mobile phone. Miu's HDPC can run Linux, Windows CE, or Windows XP on its 500MHz Via C7-M processor, while a 200MHz ARM9-based system-on-chip runs an unspecified mobile phone OS.

Miu appears to be an ODM — a company that designs products for other companies to market. As such, the HDPC (“hybrid dual portable computer”) seems to be a proof-of-concept design available to OEMs for rebranding and manufacture, likely with operating system customizations.

The HDCP has been demonstrated running QPlus, a kind of general-purpose embedded distribution with a graphical configuration interface. Introduced six years ago by the Korea-based Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), QPlus now offers reconfigurable embedded Linux kernel, system libraries, a graphic window system, and a target builder. It also provides access to the Esto visual software development kit, which is said to include project-based source editing, cross-compilation, remote execution, remote and nonstop debugging, and JTAG-based on-chip debugging.

ETRI's MCC (Click for details)

Linux Qplus is also built-into ETRI's own “Mobile Convergence Communicator” (MCC), which was announced in January. Similar in many ways to the Miu HDPC, the MCC is said to offer both 802.11b/g and 3.5G cellular networking, along with digital TV reception and Bluetooth.

Alternatively, the HDCP can run Windows CE, or even Windows XP, Miu said. Since it supports the x86 architecture exclusively, XP is not often found found on mobile devices as small as the HDCP.

Pin-pointing specifications for the HDPC at this point is a matter of guesswork based on computer translations of Korean manufacturer MIU bit's website. Here's our best guess:

HTC first introduced the concept of combining x86 and ARM-based processors in a single device with its Shift, a UMPC (ultra-mobile PC) that was announced last year and began shipping last month. The 1.8 pound, Shift uses an 800MHz Intel Stealey A110 processor, featuring a Pentium M core, along with Qualcomm's ARM11-based MSM7200.

The Shift runs Windows Vista Business edition on the Stealey CPU, much like a normal UMPC or laptop. In addition, users can toggle over to the MSM7200 and run what HTC calls SnapVUE, an environment based on a modified version of Windows Mobile. Where Vista would deliver about two hours of battery life, SnapVUE can keep operating for up to two days, HTC claims.